“I was excited about it to get my opportunity, especially being hurt all season and not being able to even practice or throw a ball,” Lynch said after practice Wednesday. “I was itching to get out here, but now that I’m out here it feels good to get back into the swing of things. I’m excited about Sunday now.”

“I want to go out there and win the game obviously, however that happens, however we have to do that,” Lynch said. “I think we have a good gameplan and we’re moving towards that.”

Denver selected Lynch in the first round of last year’s draft out of Memphis. With a 3-7 record, the Broncos have just a two percent chance of making the NFL playoffs, so turning the offense over to Lynch makes sense.

General manager John Elway and coach Vance Joseph can use the final six games of the season to evaluate if Lynch may be the team’s quarterback of the future. If Lynch doesn’t show promise, Denver will likely target quarterbacks through free agency and the draft next offseason.

Lynch (6-7, 244 pounds) went 49-83 for 497 passing yards with two touchdown passes and one interception in two and a half games last season, registering a 79.2 passer rating. Sunday will mark his third career start.